NASA is set to hold a media briefing at 1:45 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 29, at its Johnson Space Center in Houston to provide updates on the upcoming International Space Station mission of Indian American astronaut Anil Menon. The briefing will offer insights into preparations for his first journey into space and the objectives of the mission ahead.
The event will be streamed live on NASA’s official YouTube channel, allowing global audiences to follow the announcement. Menon is scheduled to travel aboard the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft, which is targeted for launch on Tuesday, July 14. He will be joined by Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina. The crew is expected to spend approximately eight months aboard the International Space Station as part of Expeditions 74 and 75.
This mission marks the first spaceflight for Menon, who was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021 and completed astronaut candidate training with the 23rd astronaut class in 2024. Since then, he has been actively preparing for his assignment to the space station, including intensive training sessions such as spacewalk simulations conducted at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Menon brings a diverse professional background to the astronaut corps. He is trained as an emergency medicine physician, mechanical engineer, and also serves as a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force. His academic qualifications include a degree in neurobiology from Harvard University, along with both a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and a medical degree from Stanford University.
Before his selection as an astronaut, Menon completed specialized residencies in emergency and aerospace medicine at Stanford and the University of Texas Medical Branch. He continues to practice emergency medicine at Memorial Hermann’s Texas Medical Center and contributes to medical education by training residents at the University of Texas.
Menon also previously worked with SpaceX, where he served as the company’s first flight surgeon. In that role, he supported the historic Demo-2 mission, which marked the first crewed launch of the Dragon spacecraft to the ISS under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. He also helped build SpaceX’s medical systems to support future human spaceflight missions.
The International Space Station, where Menon will serve, has been continuously occupied for over 25 years and remains a critical platform for scientific research and technological advancement in microgravity conditions.
